Katie & Rachel, Beach volleyball partners from Vellmont NJRachel and I have all the tools, we are smart, tough and athletic

Connor & Jonathan, Ivy league a capella singersI think we will sing a lot during the race

Nat & Kat, Doctors and best friendsBeing doctors we are used to being under really stressful situationsWe are a team of nerds. And proud of it

Michel & Kevin, Father and son, Internet sensations from Sugarland TXWe sort of have these conflicting cultures

Nick & Vicki, Dating from Las Vegas NVWe are very athletic people, we are going definitely to kick ass

Ron & Tony, Best friends from Los Angeles CAThe reason we are doing the race is that it's my best friends dream, Ron

Jill & Thomas, Dating from Marina del Rey CAWhen he's right he is right and that's that

Gary & Mallory, Father and daughter from KentuckyMallory is the boy I wanted to have first

Andie & Jenna, Biological mother and daughter recently reunitedWe have always wondered about each other

At the starting line Phil tells the racers of the new Express Pass which will be awarded to the winner of the first leg. This pass allows the holder to skip one challenge during the first 8 legs of the race. The pass can be used before or during any task.

Route info: "Fly to London, England. When you land driver yourselves to Stonehenge. You have $100 for this leg of the race". Teams must now drive Smart cars (hint, they are small) to Logan airport (60km 0:54).

Choice quotes: "These cars are like my size", Mallory "This is what we have been waiting for, to win a million buckarooskies", Nick "Get your compass out", Ron feels he needs a navigation aid "This is going to be our strongest suite, being able to navigate really well", Ron has his illusions "They speak English there at least", Thomas is glad they are going to England "You are about to find out if I am a good driver", Andie & Jenna are getting to know each other "We are west. We have to head east", Connor and Jonathan were about to drive all the way to England "I hope we get out of America", Jonathan "Hurry, quick, before the other team gets on", Claire do not want Nat & Kat to catch the shuttle from parking "Puke in the trashcan", Brooke to Claire after the run to the check-in counter

Choice quotes: "Driving stick left handed, it is really weird", Stephanie "We are back at the airport again", Chad has trouble navigating "I'm currently in the hardest situation for a type 1 diabetes on an insulin pump", Nat reveals that the race is not an ideal place for a diabetic person like herself "Which way? I don't know.", Nick and Vicki have trouble navigating "I think I'm breaking the car", Andie has doubts about her driving skill "We weren't communicating very well", Ron know why they got lost even more "This is the first time I have ever heard of Stonehenge, and then I found out it was a bunch of rocks", Vicki is amazing

Route info: "Find the castle that is the opposite of NorEaster". Teams must now figure out that they have to drive to Eastnor castle (142km 2:01). This riddle is very easy to solve with help of the locals and no teams seems to solve it quickly. But there are more chances of getting lost on the way to the castle. Teams eventually arrive in the following order: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Nat & Kat 3. Brook & Claire 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Michael & Kevin 8. Gary & Mallory 9. Andie & Jenna 10. Nick & Vicki 11. Ron & Tony

Choice quotes: "We are following the doctors, we love them", Brook & Claire connects with Nat & Kat "This is a though place to find your way around", But Gary is doing well anyway "I think I'm going to pee in my pants", Claire is excited about the first challenge "This is not how I pictured my day on the English countryside", Mallory while lugging a tire "Driving around lost is the worst", Andie has a feeling it is not going well for them "I need kindergarten directions obviously", Vicki knows herself "You are going in the wrong direction", a helpful local to Ron & Tony

On the way to the castle Gary & Mallory team up with Connor & Jonathan. Then the former get a flat tire and tell Connor & Jonathan to continue on without them. Which is the right and decent thing to do. Fortunately Gary is a handy man and he switches tires without any major problems.

Route info: "Time to storm the castle". Teams must now climb the wall of the castle while being bombarded with water from a mob of peasants. Once at the top of the battlement they must retrieve a medieval flag. Then they must use a tortoise-shell boat to cross a lake by dragging themselves along on ropes. All before finally delivering the flag to a knight in shining armor.

The water used by the peasants is not very clean, but if teams just ignore that they can climb the wall in no time (and they do). But the boats is a trickier thing. They are small and rank and teams may NOT swim across. Most teams do this with the boats: 1. Put the boat in the water 2. Get in the boat 3. SinkSo the trick is to get into them without sinking and then drag yourself across without losing balance. Slow and steady is the key.

It is at this point we realize that Ron & Tony are doomed. Not only are they still hopelessly lost (they have not reached Stonehenge yet) but since Tony is about twice the size of Tony they will have serious troubles with the boats.

Choice quotes: "We are sinking", countless teams "We were pretty pathetic in our first attempt", Thomas knows himself "You are doing awesome", Thomas encourages Jill who is pulling them across the moat "The turtle wins the race", Brook has figured out how the boats work "The nerds zipped right past us, and it totally humbled me", Chad is rattled "We need to wait a sec and work together, okay?", Michael has the boating task figured out "Not again, or maybe not (Michael & Kevin again) "Are you a battlement", Nick & Vicki asks one of the actors after climbing the ladder "I have no idea right now", Nick can't find the flag on the battlement, while the cameraman pans and focuses on it "I promise you we are not that dumb" Vicki after having proved otherwise "I think we have to go over there and pull a boat back", Nick & Vicki continue their streak by not seeing the boats (while the camera focuses on them) "Morons", Nick about themselves when they spot the boats

Road block: "Who is ready to go in battle with a knight in shiny armor?" In this road block one team member must use a ballista to shoot watermelons at an empty suit of armor standing 50feet away. Once they have defeated the armor they must find the jester to get their next clue. The jester is the obvious guy standing on a big ball juggling.

And this is where we have a close call. Somehow Claire's watermelon gets tangled up in her ballista so it travels back and leaves with full speed backwards instead. It scores a direct hit into Claire's face. She is dazed and have trouble seeing clearly after this, but after a short break she resumes the challenge. That's the spirit.

Choice quotes: "You are like wonder woman", Brook is impressed by Claire "Stop for a second and just look at what you did", Nat & Kat stop to admire the carnage which Nat wreaked "I'm not giving up, I'm just getting frustrated", Claire is having problems (before the incident) "I can't feel my face", Claire after the watermelon hit "They don't call it the amazing race for nothing", Brooke explaining to Rachel why she has to continue "I should have gone to the bathroom", Connor on the horse on the way to the roadblock "I don't want these people to beat me", Claire wants to go on after the incident "I'm more terrified than ever", Claire gets back to shooting watermelons "They are running over there, and they are done, lets follow them" Connor & Jonathan decides to follow Brook & Claire

Connors bathroom remark may seem funny but actually shows they are really focused on the race and postpone pit stops like that as long as possible. They probably know that an untimely bathroom break may cost teams the race.

Route info: "Search the grounds around Eastnor for the pitstop". The grounds are huge, but the pitstop is actually just in the next meadow (~300m away). And is can be spotted by just looking carefully. Teams reach it in the following order:

Choice quotes: "I guarantee it is on the other side of the castle", Chad thinks he knows where the pitstop is "I don't think so", Chad is looking inside th castle for the pit stop "Nick & Vicki, what's the name of this country?", Phil tests their knowledge "We are in London, right", and Vicki fails spectacularly

Nick & Vicki are not quite as dumb as the quotes indicates. At least Nick was smart enough to count the cars at the parking lot so he knew they were the tenth team. But they will have to smarten up if they are going to stay in the race.

Ron & Tony started the race really well, but then completely fell through when navigating in England. And finally this season has some really strong all female teams. I expected much from Nat & Kat, and they delivered. But Brooke & Claire were way better racers than expected, which is good for them.

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

And this is where we have a close call. Somehow Rachel's watermelon gets tangled up in her ballista so it travels back and leaves with full speed backwards instead. It scores a direct hit into Rachel's face. She is dazed and have trouble seeing clearly after this, but after a short break she resumes the challenge. That's the spirit.

I have tried to estimate distances and driving times every now and then. This data, from Google, is an approximation at best and the driving times assumes no traffic.

Teams leave the pit stop at Eastnor castle in the following order:

1.

Jill & Thomas

11:55

2.

Nat & Kat

12:00

(+0:05)

3.

Connor & Jonathan

12:20

(+0:25)

4.

Brook & Claire

12:21

(+0:26)

5.

Katie & Rachel

12:22

(+0:27)

6.

Gary & Mallory

12:40

(+0:45)

7.

Michael & Kevin

12:41

(+0:46)

8.

Chad & Stephanie

12:50

(+0:55)

9.

Andie & Jenna

13:35

(+1:40)

10.

Nick & Vicki

13:45

(+1:50)

Route info: "Fly to the city of Accra". Teams must now fly to Accra, Ghana. Once they land they must make their way to Kwame Nkrumah memorial park where they will find their next clue. Teams get $137 for this leg of the race.

Connor & Jonathan, Brook & Claire and waited on Katie & Rachael at the start to pool their resources. They then promptly got lost on the way to the parking lot. Claire solved the problem by asking (and kissing) a local tractor driver.

Choice quotes: "Thomas was in charge the last leg. But I feel like I can do things', Jill wants to contribute as well "Kat is very Cool, Calm and Collected", Nat about her team mate "I'm thinking if there are no watermelons in this leg then it is us", Claire wants to be first "And I'm going to give you a big sloppy kiss afterwards", Claire tries to convince the tractor guy to give them good directions (to Heathrow) "I just kissed and Englishman, in a tractor!", Claire thinks she has sold her soul "My tactic is obviously that a kiss saves the day", Claire has her strategy clear "My leg hurts", Michael complains, "Ignore it", Kevin is full of sympathy "Can you really believe we slept in a castle?", Jenna reveals where teams spent the night

Choice quotes: "This is crazy, so many people and it stinks", Katie and Rachel arrives at the market "I'm not a stranger to this kind of market", Michael knows places like this from his youth in Taiwan "Oh, my god", Mallory when their taxi breaks down

Roadblock: "Who thinks they can handle some shady dealings". One team member must sell as many sunglasses as it takes to earn 15cedis ($10). They may not sell any pair for less than 3cedi.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Brook* & Claire

(1-1)

2.

Michael* & Kevin

(1-1)

3.

Connor* & Jonathan

(2-0)

4.

Chad* & Stephanie

(2-0)

5.

Katie & Rachel*

(0-2)

6.

Andie & Jenna*

(0-2)

7.

Gary & Mallory*

(1-1)

8.

Jill* & Thomas

(1-1)

9.

Nick* & Vicki

(2-0)

10.

Nat & Kat*

(1-1)

Choice quotes: "Not to say I have no confidence in my dad, but was nervous", Michael does not trust his dad "I should have done this", Vicki discovers hindsight "This is definitely a lot harder that I thought it was going to be", Nick "This is what we do for a living, sell stuff", Claire is confident in Brook "Oh, that look good" Brook shows that the trust is well placed "I was definitely trying to target the women", Chad had a strategy "Kat hard sell, hard sell", Nat pushes Kat into working harder "You don't want to sell them a pair of bad sunglasses", Jill shows compassion "Why do you care?", Thomas does not "I need them back", A lady is just walking away with a pair of Nick's sunglasses "We realized we were in last place, that was a little scary", Kat feel the heat "I'm definitely not quitting my day job to become a Ghanian professional sunglass seller", Kat after finishing last in the roadblock "Okay, we trust our cab driver", Mallory utters some famous last words

"Tune In: Mount a TV antenna on top of a local house and connect it to a television. If you tune in the signal to the owner's satisfaction you will receive your next clue."

Part of the extra info reads: "...neighborhood directly behind Adom Electricals on June 4th Teshie Road and choose a marked house. You may not switch.

* Install the antenna according to the owners instructions. Each house might be slightly different,but you chose your house, live with it!"

"Check Out: Transport a locally designed coffin from the workshop to the showroom. Once the coffin is delivered you will receive your next clue." The workshop is called "Emmanuel's woodshop" and the coffins are made to look like everyday objects.

Choice quotes: "Safety glasses? Oh we want pink", Brook "Oh my god Claire, this is way harder than it looks", Brooks uses a hammer "Smells good, I'm hungry" Claire sees somebody cooking while Brook is hammering "I need you to really focus Claire", Brooke is having none of it "Glad I could give you this service, and I do it with a smile", Brook knows what customer service is "I don't know what I am doing", Brook has trouble tuning the antenna "You see that blue truck, that is a coffin", Rachel spots the showroom "The coffins were really strange, the camera, just weird things", Jill (personally I do not find a camera weird) "I don't think this is right", Nat & Kat's taxi is lost "It's back, it's back", Gary & Mallory's taxi driver learns where it is "And the child shall lead us", Connor & Jonathan follows a small child who shows them the way "I wonder how they would really fit a human in here, it's a little oddly shaped. But I guess if you really liked fish", Jonathan reflects on the coffin "You okay?", Nat asks Kat after she fell "Yeah, let's go, let's go", Kat shows fighting spirit

Choice quotes: "Traffic is insane, it's bumper to bumper all the way down", Nick & Vicki are stuck in traffic "Pass all these cars if you want to", Nat encourages their taxi driver, and he creates an extra lane for himself "Ah, we got to, that's", Mallory is flustered by being passed by Nat & Kat's taxi "We just passed our little brothers" Nat & Kat pass Connor & Jonathan "How did that happen?", Jonathan is also surprised "We made up some time big time", Kat appreciates their taxi driver (they just moved from #9 to #6) "These taxi drivers are nuts, but we are not complaining, as long as we are not dying", Jonathan while cringing in the taxi "I think I'm having a religious experience", Nat is scared in the taxi "I'm just so proud I haven't soiled myself", Connor is also scared "I've had a bad day Phil, give me some good news", Gary on the mat "Or any new before I have a heart attack and die on this mat. Has that happened before?", Mallory is also tense on the mat

The pitstop location here is awesome. Right in the middle of the market with hordes of people around. The greeter is an African woman with a colorful dress carrying a big bowl with smoked fish on her head.

It may be symptomatic of Andie & Jenna that they were the only team which walked up to the mat. At least they will get plenty of time to get to know each other in calmer circumstances at the elimination station.

Choice quotes: "Oooooh, Yessssss!", Brook learns they are going to a boxing academy "Oh my gosh, we got a bunch of burly men", Brook arrives at the academy "What's your name?", Connor & Jonathan takes time to get to know their taxi driver "Please drive faster, please drive faster" Connor & Jonathan sings to get their cabbie to drive faster "Kat and I knew that there would be times were we would be at the bottom", Nat has realistic expectations "How far away is it", Vicki tries to communicate with their driver, "Okay", but without success "We are lost", Nat & Kat get a bad cabbie again

One the way to the academy Nat & Kat and their list driver ended up on a narrows street with two other teams behind them. The doctors then just stopped their taxi and got out to ask the other teams. The others could not pass so they just had to wait and tell Nat & Kat where the clue was. This was smart racing. But then their taxi driver refused to turn around to get to the clue.

Roadblock: "You've got a rocky road ahead". One team member must first learn to properly wrap their hands before suiting up in training gear. Next the must work the speed bag for 60 seconds and then jump rope for 60 seconds. This roadblock is fairly simple and no teams have anything but minor hiccups.

But some players, like Chad and Connor, thought the rope jumping was too easy and started to show off. Which made them miss and they had to start over again.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Brook* & Claire

(2-1)

2.

Katie* & Rachel

(1-2)

3.

Chad* & Stephanie

(3-0)

4.

Connor* & Jonathan

(3-0)

5.

Michael & Kevin*

(1-2)

6.

Gary* & Mallory

(2-1)

7.

Nick & Vicki*

(2-1)

8.

Jill & Thomas*

(1-2)

9.

Nat* & Kat

(2-1)

Choice quotes: "Of Brook gets into the ring with those other guys, I'm scared for the other guy", Claire

Choice quotes: "It's a semi and then a herd of very large beasts", Brook & Claire find a real road block "Let's get a good cab this time", Nat & Kat "We don't know if the car is overheating or what the problem is", Nat & Kat have taxi trouble again

Teams must now choose a pair of wheelbarrows and load them with constructions supplies. Then they will take them to the Asebi D/A primary school (~400m) where they will receive their next clue, provided they deliver the right supplies. The right stuff to bring is: 2 wheelbarrows 1 bag of concrete 2 bricks 2 shovels 2 brooms 2 trowels 2 scrapers

Connor & Jonathan helps us and themselves by reading the list out loud as they load up. If teams do not bring the correct supplies they must bring everything back to the supply depot when getting what they missed.

Choice quotes: "Man that was brutal", Claire upon getting to the school (the first time) "Rachel, I don't think we need two (wheelbarrows)", Katie "They have one", Katie notices that Kevin & Michael have only one "Well they are idiots", Rachel is actually right "Good job reading", Nick blames Vicki "We are tired but not giving up", Nat approaching the school

Route info: "Time for a pop quiz". Teams will have to sit down with some local students class for a geography quiz. The teacher asks pupils to place different countries on a map of Africa. Every other question is about Ghana and the team may answer that. When they answer correctly they get their next clue.

Teams complete this challenge in the following order: 1. Connor & Jonathan, got it on the 8th try 2. Gary & Mallory, got it on the 2nd try 3. Chad & Stephanie, got it on the 4th try 4. Jill & Thomas, got it on the 2nd try 5. Katie & Rachel, got it on the ~2nd try 6. Brook & Claire, got it on the 21st try 7. Michael & Kevin, got it on the 3rd try 8. Nick & Vicki, got it on the 44th try (Ghana was possibly the only nation left) 9. Nat & Kat, got it on the 4th try

Choice quotes: "No, no, no, no", the other kids when Connor make the first wrong guess "Princeton is a good school, I swear", Connor after their less than stellar performance "I liked sitting with the kids", Claire enjoyed this part "How do we know where Ghana is, are we that stupid?", yes Nick, you are "We are the dumbest people known to earth", Nick, but realizing the problem is the first step towards the solution

Detour: "Bicycle parts or Language arts"

"Bicycle parts: Master a traditional children's game. Using a stick, keep the rim of a bicycle wheel rolling up and down a soccer field without letting it fall"

In language arts teams choose a proverb containing 8 highlighted phrases. Each phrase has a corresponding symbol, in a local alphabet known as Adinkra, which can be found on the decoder key (which is located at the end of the school house). Teams then go to a giant decorative cloth (probably 20x2m) and must find their 8 symbols in the right order among thousands of other symbols.

At both detours teams are surrounded by African schoolchildren playing or doing homework.

Choice quotes: "In Phil we trust", Connor when selecting a proverb at random "It's 100 degrees, and all those little boys just sailing along", Mallory feels inferior "I think we have to circle small African children", Claire completely misreads the clue "Oh, maybe the small Africa children doesn't have anything to do with it", Claire spots the cloth with symbols on "'A decoder key is provided for reference', we've got to find the decoder key", Tomas "I have puzzles", Brook & Claire are not in their right element at the language arts "I don't care what that says", Nick decides to ignore the clue "You've got to be kidding me, something so stupid like this", Nick has trouble with the detour "The kids are awesome, they're the best part of the day", Nat "I felt crappy for treating her the way I did", Nick is transformed

I am impressed by most teams inability to find the decoder key. In the end only Connor & Jonathan found it. It was just around the corner. And the camera crews managed go get good shots of it and teams looking for it. Maybe that is a lesson, if you can't find something on the race take note of were the camera-crew is.

While running over the field and being berated by Nick, Vicki got an asthma attack. This was apparently what Nick needed because he immediately calmed down and realized that he had been pushing too hard. He switched just like that from shouting idiot to supportive team mate. I'm impressed.

Michael almost collapsed in the heat (98) and the sun on the field and had to get some medical attention. That took a while, but on the other hand Nat & Kat got lost on the way to the pit stop so the editors could make the end exciting. Please note that Kevin was very supportive of his dad during the whole time.

Route info: "You are headed to the arctic circle". Teams must now fly to the city of Kiruna (and no Phil can't pronounce that name) in the area known as Swedish Lappland. Teams have been give tickets, but must not use them. Once they land they must drive themselves to Jukkasjärvi. The next clue can be found inside the chilled warehouse where the ice for next year's Ice Hotel is stored.

* I think Nick was just making a comment to Vicki, not telling the taxi driver to drive to the arctic circle. But lets us speculate a bit. The driving distance is over 10.000km and it would take more than 5 days to drive. Then add time for rest stops and the ferry across the Gibraltar. And what would have happened at the pit stop? I can hear Phil say "You did not use the correct for of transportation, you need to go back to Ghana and start over":-)

At the airport (50km 0:55) teams find that check in opens at 16:30. So they have time to just hang around. Michael & Kevin called the airport form the taxi and found a better flight. At the airport they told Gary & Mallory The four of them used Mallory's blond hair to charm the Lufthansa worker and thus got tickets to the earlier flight.

Nat & Kat used the internet to find and book tickets to the earlier flight. Then when Brook & Claire asked them what they were doing they told them to Brook & Claire also got tickets.

All teams are now on the same Lufthansa flight from Accra to Frankfurt (LH567) which departed at 22:03 and arrived at 06:38 on the next day. Once in Frankfurt four teams have to hustle to their earlier flight. They all make it, although barely in the case of Michael & Kevin.

Choice quotes: "Coming though. Crazy Americans, here we come", Claire while running trough Frankfurt airport "We are now in a five way sprint to not get eliminated", Jonathan has found out that other teams made the earlier flight

Choice quotes: "My fiance calls me an ice princess, I might have to borrow that later", Brook wants to borrow the white fur which the greeter in the ice shed wears "We should have brought gloves and but pads", Kevin

This is where Michael & Kevin encounter their speed bump. They must sit in a pair of ice chairs for 10 minutes. To make the place seem a little nicer they can look at a TV showing a film of a nice log fire.

The next clue is a block of ice with the name of their next destination etched in it. The destination is "Pietarasjärvivägen, Fjellborgsvid Väkkäräjärvi". Teams reach this (10km 0:15) in the following order: 1. Michael & Kevin 2. Gary & Mallory, arrives at the same time as #3 & #4 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nat & KatAnd significantly later 5. Katie & Rachel 6. Connor & Jonathan 7. Chad & Stephanie 8. Nick & Vicki 9. Jill & Thomas

Road block: "Who's feeling kind of mushy". One team member must now use a summer training sled (on wheels) to mush their dogs along a forest trail. Along the way they must grab five different flags which they can trade for a shipment of fur pelts. Teams must perform one penalty lap for each flag they miss. Once they lead their dogs back they can exchange the pelts for the next clue.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Michael* & Kevin

(2-2)

2.

Brook & Claire*

(2-2)

3.

Gary & Mallory*

(2-2)

Missed one flag

4.

Nat & Kat*

(2-2)

5.

Connor* & Jonathan

(4-0)

6.

Nick* & Vicki

(3-1)

7.

Katie* & Rachel

(2-2)

8.

Chad & Stephanie*

(3-1)

9.

Jill* & Thomas

(2-2)

Choice quotes: "I'm enjoy", Michael enjoys the roadblock "So we have this kiss count going, and Claire kissed #6 today", Brook "It's like we are running into nowhere", Jill & Thomas run in the wrong direction from the clue box "These dogs are amazing, I'm so happy I got to make this roadblock", Stephanie "I'm coming Connor, I'm coming", Nick is chasing Connor

Sleds: Using a state-of-the-art sports gadget called a Tech Sled, race down a mountain course and beat the clock to receive your next clue.

Beds: Using customary materials, erect a traditional local dwelling known as a Goahet. Make it comfortable for sleeping to receive your next clue."

The beds detour is the safe but slow choice. The sleds are terrifying and a lot of players fly over the edges while trying to beat the time. But for those who can stand it and master the sleds it is the quicker option.

Both detour options are relatively close to each other 7km further along the road from the train station.

Choice quotes: "Ohhh it's cold. We are not in Ghana any more", Nat & Kat "Pulling on the brakes did not do much at all", Nat describes the sleds "Oh lord have mercy", Stephanie does not look forward to the sleds "We are more a physical couple than mental", Vicki knows her team "The sled and I did not agree", Jonathan "Yipee, we're still in it", Chad when Katie and Rachel arrive at beds

Jill & Thomas decided to use their express pass to bypass this detour. In hindsight we know that, unless they had screwed up royally, they would have been safe without using it. But given the facts they knew at the time (they were last and nobody else was at that detour) the choice to use it was right.

Route info: teams must now make their way to the pit stop which is located at the Norwegian border (1km 0:01).

Teams leave the pit stop at the Norway-Sweden border in the following order:

1.

Nat & Kat

06:00

2.

Gary & Mallory

06:04

(+0:04)

3.

Brook & Claire

06:05

(+0:05)

4.

Michael & Kevin

06:30

(+0:30)

5.

Jill & Thomas

06:48

(+0:48)

6.

Nick & Vicki

07:11

(+1:11)

7.

Chad & Stephanie

08:12

(+2:12)

5.

Katie & Rachel

08:34

(+2:34)

Route info: "Make a run for the border, drive yourself to the city of Narvik." Once there they must find a gondola station and ride to the top of the Fagernesfjellet mountain where they will find their next clue.

Choice quotes: "Do you think we should go that way?', Claire, "I think it is this way", Mallory (two teams driving around a roundabout) "They got some funky names", Nick observes "This is not the amazing friends", Katie & Rachel are here to win "The blonde from Nat & Kat is terrified of heights", Katie & Rachel haven't bothered to learn who is who "Nat, we are fine. We are on a gondola right now", Kat reassures Nat "Christmas ritual, I love Christmas", Mallory wants to go for the fast forward "There is a lot of leg left", Katie is not worried that they are last

This clue box contains a fast forward:"Happy Holidays!

To get ahead take part in a traditional Norwegian Christmas ritual.

Note: as many as four Teams can compete in this event until somebody finishes the ritual!"

Teams going for this must make their way to a small restaurant (24km 0:28) and then share a serving of Smalahove. That is each team member must eat half a roasted sheep's head. Nat & Kat are the first to reach this clue box and decide to go for the fast forward.

Nick & Vicki also decide to go for the fast forward, despite being team #6. I can't guess what they were thinking. Apparently they did not know how the fast forward works. They even said that they thought everybody had gone to it because it sounded so simple. And when they got there the did not understand what the "Fast forward taken" sign meant. The only good thing they did was to decide to not hang around but instead proceed to the bridge (6km 0:07). They should count themselves lucky that the fast forward was relatively close to the road block.

Choice quotes: "What if we are doing an eating challenge?", Nat "Dear god, I hope not. I'm a vegetarian, I haven't eaten meat in 22 years", Kat is not going to enjoy the ritual "We know enough about the race, that when there is a little glass of water on the table that is a bad sign", Nat "Mmm, crunchy", Nat "Tastes like a million dollars", Nat "I have no clue what that means", Nick upon seeing the sign "Fast forward taken"

Nat & Kat decide to cut the meat up in small pieces so they do not know what is what (eyes, tongue etc). Then they just eat it all. Kat shows real dedication here and eats the meat, despite being a vegetarian, unlike some other players in the past. Eventually they complete the meal and can go directly to the pit stop at the Ankenes marina (16km 0:17).

Road block: "Strength, stamina and guts. You'd better have all three". In this road block one team member must rappel down from the bridge, get the next clue from a boat and then use a mechanical ascender to climb back up to the bridge again (40m, 130ft).

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Michael & Kevin*

(2-3)

2.

Gary* & Mallory

(3-2)

3.

Jill & Thomas*

(2-3)

4.

Brook & Claire*

(2-3)

5.

Nick & Vicki*

(3-2)

6.

Chad* & Stephanie

(4-1)

7.

Katie* & Rachel

(3-2)

Jill & Tomas made a wrong turn on their way from the detour to the pit stop and drove over the bridge as Katie was climbing back up. Katie & Rachael assumed they were heading for the road block so their spirits lifted considerably.

Choice quotes: "Going down is the easy part", Gary knows what awaits "Oh, it's giving me a wedgie", Claire, who then has to explain to the instructor what a wedgie is "Oh, I get this. It's going to be a long way up", Kevin starts the climb back up "I can't do this", Claire is finding it hard to climb back up "Gray to your grandma. She'll get you through it", Brook motivates "I've been waiting for something like this", Vicki looks forward to the climb "I'm the one who has the guts in this relationship", Vicki again "Oh, I think I'm getting the hang of this", Vicki figures out how to climb up "Vicki just killed it", Chad realizes that rather than he gaining on Vicki she pulled ahead during the climb

The next clue is a route info. It directs teams to a remote field in the region of Harvika (20km 0:25). Here they will find their next clue. Teams reach it in the following order: 1. Michael & Kevin 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Gary & Mallory 4. Brook & Claire 5. Nick & Vicki 6. Chad & Stephanie 7. Katie & Rachel, arrive while teams #5 & #6 are doing the detour

Detour: "Bike or Boat"

In bike teams chose a pair of mountain bikes,taking not of the color of their lock. Then they ride a course up a local hill. At the top they will find a sign with the different combinations. Once they have memorized their combination they can ride back down again and unlock their lock to get their next clue.

In boat teams make their way to one of these local fishing trawlers. They must then direct the captain to a certain place where they may disembark. Continuing on foot they must deliver two large cod and a chainsaw to a summer lodge which is located up a steep hill.

Choice quotes: "If that would have been any further I would have chucked my bike down the mountain", Mallory did not enjoy the bike tour "I'm tired, I can't feel my legs, my body is in shock", Clair enjoys the climb up to the hut "Since I was 12 years old, I've been riding dirt bikes competitively", Nick is sure of himself "You wanna walk?", a little later Vicki has to slow down for him "Kiss count is up to 7", Brook and Claire accosted the old man in the hot

Route info: "Drive yourself to the next pit stop". Teams must now drive to the Ankenes marina (30km 0:36) where the pit stop is located.

Choice quotes: "You know we are not driving around in circles", Tomas, but he missed the pit stop anyway "I wish I could do my eye brow that way", Mallory flirts with Phil "Now we are right behind Tomases team, I'm going to follow them", Kevin is also lost "Claire, I just cut my face", Brooke cuts herself on the car door "I think we are in second, dude", Nick for some reason think they are #2, even though there were four cars parked in front of theirs

As usual the editors cut it as if there was a tight race between the last teams. But the distance was probably pretty significant. Katie & Rachel might have been able to save themselves if they had chosen the quicker bike detour, but I doubt it since Chad and Stephanie was already on their way back form the hut when Katie & Rachel arrived.

Maf, actually it was Kat who was the vegetarian, not Nat. But yeah, Kat showed a lot of determination in finishing the task despite being a vegetarian -- unlike Terence from Season 13, who couldn't hack it and wound up Philiminated along with Sarah. True, even if Kat couldn't hack it she and Nat probably would've still been safe, but I'm glad she got through it!

That's right and I have corrected the report. Of course I just put that mistake in there to check if anybody actually read these things

In the same vein I am glad that Katie & Rachel got eliminated. Not just because I did not really like them (and even less when hearing them at ES), but because I had a really hard time telling them apart.

Teams leave the pit stop at Ankenes marina on the evening of the 3rd. Or at least Nat & Kat do, they start racing at 20:26. None of the other teams are shown departing. That does not matter much since they all have plenty of time to catch up.

Teams must now drive themselves to the railway station. Then take a train towards Stockholm and then fly from Arlanda to St. Petersburg Russia. When they land they must make their way to Vasilievsky island and find the Rostral columns.

When Nat & Kat reach the station they learn that it opens at 06.00. They manage to find somebody who checks the timetable for them and learn that the next train will not leave until 10:26 the next day. So there is plenty of time for everybody to catch up.

The next day (2010-06-04) everybody travel on the following trains: IC 95 Narvik to Boden, 10:26 - 16:53 IN 91 Boden to Uppsala, 17:25 - 06:02

For some reason the editors have decided to lie a lot to us during the train ride. Most of the footage of teams getting on the train is actually from Boden. And teams leave the train in Uppsala rather than Stockholm, which the editors want us to believe.

Choice quotes: "I've never been on a train before" Mallory at Boden station (i.e. just after a 6h train ride) "This is crazy, have you ever slept on any of these", Jill asks Thomas "Yeah, of course", Thomas has done everything "Chad, whenever he is pissed and frustrated, it is just Stephs fault", Stephanie is not pleased about being blamed for every mishap

In Uppsala teams take taxis to Arlanda (38km 0:28) and buy tickets to St. Petersburg. Some teams have trouble finding taxis (Chad & Stephanie and Gary & Mallory). But they all end up on the same flight SK732 which departed at 10:14 and arrived at 13:33 on 2010-06-05. Once the flight lands we have the usual mad dash for the taxis. Eventually teams reach the clue box at the columns (18km 0:21) in the following order: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Chad & Stephanie 4. Gary & Mallory 5. Jill & Thomas 6. Nick & Vicki 7. Nat & Kat

Choice quotes: "Kevin, this is a city full of history and culture", Michael tries to get Kevin to care, but in vain "I like how they keep all their buildings instead of blowin' 'em up", Nick is from Las Vegas

Detour: "Classical music or classic cinema

Classical Music: Listen to three gramophones playing music. Then find the pianists playing the same three compositions. When you've made the correct matches, you will receive your next clue.

Classic Cinema: Searching through clips of film kept at a soundstage, find one clip that matches any scene from a short movie playing on a screen. When you do, the Director will give you the next clue."

Classical music is in a nearby palace (3km 0:03). What the clue does not say is that teams must find the pianists among a total of 20 pianists all playing different tunes. The pieces the teams are looking for are: Mussorgsky: Pictures at an exhibition Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Tchaikovsky: TroikaThis task is easier if you concentrate on one tune at a time.

Classic movies is in Lenfilm studios (2km 0:02). The film clip is from Eisenstein's "October". This task get easier if teams realize they can concentrate on the words shown on the screen every now and then.

Choice quotes: "Oh my gosh". Michael and Kevin see the heaps of film clips they have to search through "Oh my god", Stephanie sees the room full of pianos "It was ridiculous", Chad was overwhelmed by the sound "I wanted you to have a decent ear", Mallory realizes her dad is useless in the music task "I though this one was going to be the faster one", Kat realizes that the film task is also hard "I have no clue, I'm so fricking confused" Chad is baffled by the pianos "Sitting back and letting somebody take the lead, specially my girlfriend" Chad about what he considers to be the hardest thing on the race. I'm stunned

After Stephanie nailed the music detour (i.e. she was right while Chad was boneheaded) "I'm going to try very hard to remember these lessons", Chad, having realized she can be right and he can be wrong "Don't worry, I'll make sure you do", Stephanie

The next clue is a record or an empty film cassette. Teams must figure out that they need to go to the place shown on the label (Palace square, from film 3km 0:04, from music 2km 0:02). No teams have any problems with this. They reach the square in the following order: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Brook & Claire 3. Michael & Kevin 4. Chad & Stephanie 5. Nat & Kat 6. Gary & Mallory 7. Nick & Vicki

Route info: "Make your way to Alexandrovskaya". Teams must now make their way to this town (29km 0:34). Once there they follow a marked road to a neighborhood store, where they will find the next clue. Teams find it in the following order: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Michael & Kevin 3. Jill & Thomas 4. Nat & Kat 5. Chad & Stephanie 6. Gary & Mallory 7. Nick & Vicki, arrives after all other teams have left

Road block: "Who's ready for a Russian Drag Race?"

In this road block one team member must dress up like a Babushka. Then they must pick up a sack of potatoes at a specified address. This sack also contains a note "Take me to the wheelbarrows on Duck's End". There is a small English sign pointing to Duck's End, but it is easy to miss among the other signs. Attached to the wheelbarrows is another small note "Fill me with manure. Take me and your potatoes to the marked field down 14th path." When teams reach the field they are each directed to plant 50 potatoes adding plenty of manure along the way.

At the field there is a number of real Babushkas who instruct the contestants. But the value of these instructions is debatable since they only speak Russian. But it makes for some great humor though.

Some players have a real hard time finding Duck's end. One of the better shots was of Stephanie asking a local for Ducks' End while a smiling Nat walks by behind her with the wheelbarrow from Duck's End.

After Stephanie had filled her wheelbarrow she threw the shovel up on top of the manure pile. Just because she knew that the next contestant would have to struggle and walk in manure to get it. I think she should be glad she was not penalized for doing that.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Michael & Kevin*

(2-4)

2.

Brook* & Claire

(3-3)

3.

Jill* & Thomas

(3-3)

4.

Nat* & Kat

(3-2)

5.

Chad & Stephanie*

(4-2)

6.

Gary & Mallory*

(3-3)

7.

Nick* & Vicki

(4-2)

Choice quotes: "That's some stinky manure", Brook "He'd be a good farm hand, yes?", The Babushkas about Kevin (in Russian) "Ahhh, I just stepped in poo", Brook is upset "These skinny girls can do everything", the Babushkas about Jill "Jill, good job", Thomas is full of praise after Jill went through it quickly "Come join us for a little vodka", A local wants to get to know Mallory better "He was inviting me inside for a drink. In Swedish or Russian I think", Mallory again (if you are in the Russian countryside, I'd say one of those two languages is a little more probable than the other) "Poor Mallory", Stephanie on how Mallory had to walk in manure to retrieve the shovel, but she does not really look all that sorry "My shoes came off in the manure. That was a special moment", Mallory savours the memories "They go to a lot of trouble to have french fries", Stephanie needs to expand her culinary horizons "Looking good in that Babushka outfit, I might have to take it home and have you clean the house in it", Chad lives in another age. What about Chad cleaning the house in that outfit instead? "I was thinking Drag race", Nick explains why he did the road block "It was a little bit of race with a whole lot of drag. But just more queens than cars.", Nick "I'm asking all the locals, but they're just trying to take pictures with me", Nick did look good in a dress though "I never though I'd be planting potatoes in Russia, in a woman's dress", Nick reflects on the unpredictability of life "Run Babushka run", Vicki to Nick

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop, St. Isaac's cathedral" (29km 0:35). The pit stop is actually located in a small park across the street from the cathedral. A lot of teams spend time to look around the cathedral before finding the pit stop. Teams check in in the following order: 1. Jill & Thomas, win a trip to Sao Paolo 2. Brook & Claire 3. Michael & Kevin 4. Nat & Kat 5. Chad & Stephanie, beat Gary & Mallory in a foot race 6. Gary & Mallory 7. Nick & Vicki, last but are saved by a non-elimination

Choice quotes: "She smells ripe", Claire about Brook's new fragrance "There's a park across the street, Kevin", Michael has a theory where the pitstop may be "It's not at the park", Kevin is sure (but wrong) "Come on Claire, this is the one time I really need you to sprint", Brook has spotted the pit stop "Where'd you guys come from?", Phil is surprised by Brook & Claire who came up from behind "I would chew my nails off right now at this point, with manure under, to not get eliminated", Mallory is desperate

Some time later (after the next episode aired) we learn that there were production issues on this leg. Rumor has that it affected the music side of the detour. As a result there will be no speed bump for Nick & Vicki in the next leg. There will also be a bunching point at the start of the next leg (but we do not know if this was planned or due to the production issue).

Teams leave the pit stop at the St Isaac's cathedral in the following order:

1.

Jill & Thomas

08:30

2.

Brook & Claire

08:35

(+0:05)

3.

Michael & Kevin

08:40

(+0:10)

No other teams are shown departing. It is quite possible that the production issue in the previous episode caused them to reset the departure times, and to make sure there is a bunching point at the start.

Route info: "Join the circus". Teams must now travel by taxi to Avtovo Circus (10km 0:11) where they will find their next clue. The circus is closed and when it opens all teams have arrived. Once the gates open there is a mad dash to the clue box:

Choice quotes: "Our main issues are Thomas talking AT me and not TO me", Jill "I want to be in the circus, that's where I belong", Brook

Detour: "Circus band or Circus clowns"

In Circus band both team members must learn to play a well known Russian folk song on accordion.

In Circus clowns teams must learn a plate spinning routine. Teams must get 10 plates to spin simultaneously for at least 10 seconds. From the footage it looks like there is only room for five teams trying trying this detour option simultaneously.

In both detours teams are surrounded by clowns and, as a final touch, equipped with big red clown noses.

Choice quotes: "The whole circus tent was like bizarre, it was frantic", Kevin "Our nerd side was definitely coming out with translating music into numbers", Nat explains how the managed the music detour "You just have to learn the technique and don't panic", Brook on how to complete the plate spinning "With that big red clown nose you couldn't look straight down and see the keys", Gary explain an unexpected problems "This is so hard", Jill and Thomas "There was just way to much to learn", Thomas on why they gave up on the band task "I knew I would be the lone straggler, behind Stephanie", Chad had an insight

Teams must now travel on foot from the bridge to 1 Vladmimirskiy prospekt tower (~2km). They can ask locals for help, but may not pay a taxi to lead them. Teams arrive at the tower in the following order: 1. Nat & Kat, left their backpacks in the taxi and had him wait at the bridge 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Michael & Kevin, have their taxi lead them (which is not allowed) 4. Brook & Claire 5. Gary & Mallory, left their backpacks in the taxi and had him wait at the bridge 6. Jill & Thomas, left their backpacks in the taxi and had him wait at the bridge 7. Chad & Stephanie, left their backpacks in the taxi and had him wait at the bridge -. Brook & Claire, again, but this time they will walk to the Church

Choice quotes: "Read the clue carefully, okay? Don't miss a word", Michael to Kevin "Kiss count 9", Brook just thanked a local who gave directions "Nat & Kat are the strongest team in this whole entire race right now", Nick "Look at this. Look how dumb we are", Nick spotted the figurine

At the tower only two team members at a time may climb up to the top. They must then work out that the small, easily overlooked, figuring on a ledge is inviting them to visit a famous building. The church on spilled blood. Teams must then walk to the church where they will find their next clue. Part of the extra info here reads: "If you're keen the view will reveal the location of your next clue".

The following team members climb up the tower; Kat & Nick, Nick spots the figurine Kevin & Claire, Claire spots it Thomas & Mallory, Thomas spots it Stephanie, gives up Chad, who spots it

When he gets down from the tower Nick tries to throw Kevin & Clair off by lying about what he found. But they do not fall for it.

Choice quotes: "It says ...'You must walk to the next destination'", Nat explains why they do not take a taxi "It was right in front of your fricking face, a little figurine", Chad points out how he found it "God, I love it when he rubs it in", Stephanie is less than ecstatic "Okay, now we've followed the rules", Claire when they have reached the church for the second time, this time on foot

Route info: "What am I? Peter The Great is buried inside me. The writer Dostoevsky was imprisoned within me. Find me and then search for the Gorodki Course to receive your next clue". Teams must now figure out that the riddle refers to the Peter and Paul fortress.

Here some teams go back for their taxis and bags while others try to get a taxi here. Which turns out to be hard.

In the taxi to the fortress Claire rereads the old instructions and realize they should have walked to the church. They go back to the tower and walk/run from there to the church, thus they evade any penalty.

Choice quotes: "This is Vicki's idea", Nick is falling back to his old behavior and blaming Vicki

The extra info reads "Master a centuries old Russian game to receive your next clue". One player must learn how to play Gorodki. It is a little like bowling, but rather than a ball here players throw a wooden bat. And the targets are small wooden sticks which are stacked in various formations. All sticks must be knocked completely out of the target area in two throws (or they are reset and the player may try again). Each player must clear three different pin formations to receive their next clue.

Choice quotes: "Maybe it looks easier than it is", Kevin "It's taking a while, but I know he will get it", Kevin "Alright, crazy American girls. I know", Brooke gets back to work after having danced a bit "I'm so glad Nick is doing this one. He'll take his aggression out on this", Vicki "Right now we are neck and neck for not getting eliminated", Chad while Stephanie and Michael are the only players left at the road block

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Nat & Kat*

(3-3)

2.

Brook* & Claire

(4-3)

3.

Nick* & Vicki

(5-2)

4.

Jill & Thomas*

(3-4)

5.

Gary* & Mallory

(4-3)

6.

Michael* & Kevin

(3-4)

7.

Chad & Stephanie*

(4-3)

Some players, like Kat, Gary, Nick and Thomas, really excelled at Gorodki. While some, i.e. Michael, took a very long time.

Route info: "Enter the fortress and make your way to the next pit stop".

Here all teams but Nick&Vicki and Gary&Mallory have to go back to their taxis to pay and get their bags. We are not shown all teams but both Michael&Kevin and Jill&Thomas are having trouble with the taxis. The drivers ask for an outrageous amount of money (1000Rubles ~= $330 for Michael & Kevin).

Chad & Stephanie decided to leave their bags and ran to the pit stop. They won the foot race against Michael & Kevin. Only to be told that they had to go back and pay their taxi before they could check in. This allowed Michael & Kevin to reach the pit stop. Both are very glad to have made it, but their high spirits are crushed when they get told they have a 1h penalty for not following the rules (paying a taxi to lead them first and then taking a taxi => 2x30min). This allows Chad & Stephanie to catch up, but then they are told they have a 30min penalty for taking a taxi. However since more than 30min remains of the penalty for Michael & Kevin, Chad & Stephanie still make team #6.

Choice quotes: "If we don't go all out every single leg, we're afraid we might be eliminated", Kat does not believe in holding back "They are still looking for it Steph, please, please', Chad tries to get Stephanie to run when they see Michael & Kevin searching for the pit stop "You didn't read it", Michael to Kevin, but why did not Michael read it?

I absolutely love reading these every week Maf. These are a great way to refresh my mind about what happens each episode, its hard to catch every single detail each week let alone the entire season. You're doing a fantastic job, keep it up.

I have tried to estimate distances and driving times every now and then. This data, from Yahoo this time, is an approximation at best and the driving times assumes no traffic.

Teams are supposed to leave from the waterfront just outside the Peter and Paul fortress in the following order:

1.

Nat & Kat

01:06

2.

Brook & Claire

01:28

(+0:22)

3.

Nick & Vicki

01:29

(+0:23)

4.

Gary & Mallory

01:46

(+0:40)

5.

Jill & Thomas

01:53

(+0:47)

6.

Chad & Stephanie

02:45

(+1:39)

Chad & Stephanie manage to oversleep their departure so they did not get their first clue until 04:45 (+3:39).

Route info: "Fly to the city of Muscat". Teams must now fly to Oman. When they land they must make their way to Burj Al Mubkharah where a man will give them an ingot with their start time for the next morning. At that time teams may climb up to a local watch tower where they will find their next clue.

All teams stop by the same travel agency (UniFest Travel). One can assume that the producers have arranged for this agency to be open through the night for the teams. Teams manage to find different flights.

Unfortunately for the later teams there are no more seats on that so they have to travel on flight #2 which probably is: LH3221 LED-FRA 05:53 - 06:50 LH618 FRA-MCT 12:37 - 22:25 (via AUH)This flight carries Gary & Mallory Nick & Vicki Jill & Thomas

When Chad & Stephanie finally arrives that flight is also full so they end up on some other flight. Which luckily for them is scheduled to arrive in Muscat at 22:45, just 10 minutes after the second flight.

Once teams land there is the customary race for the taxis. Teams eventually reach the designated man (35km 0:30) and receive departure times for the next morning in the following order:

Departure 07:30 1. Brook & Claire 2. Nat & Kat

Departure 07:45 3. Jill & Thomas 4. Chad & Stephanie

Departure 08:00 5. Gary & Mallory 6. Nick & Vicki

Teams camp out on the ground for the night. The next footage we see is for 06:00 in the morning. Teams are waking up and getting ready for the day (which includes Nick looking really sleepy and Nat & Kat doing Yoga). Chad leads Stephanie on a small walk and finally proposes to her.

Choice quotes: "Will you spend the rest of your life with me? And marry me?", Chad to guess who:-) "I will", Stephanie

After that their team relationship status as shown on the screen changes from "Newly Dating" to "Engaged", cute!

They also get applauses from the other teams. But it is soon back in the saddle again at 07:30 the first teams starts running up to the watch tower.

Route info: "Drive yourself to the Jebel Shams" (270km 3:45). This is the highest mountain in Oman. At the base of the mountain a safety driver will take them to the top where they will find their next clue.

When driving there it turns out that Nat & Kat and Gary & Mallory have similar maps. And relying on these they drive to the wrong side of the mountain. These teams then have to drive a long way back and then to the right side of the mountain so it took them close to 9h to reach the next clue box.

Choice quotes: "The map that we have is a little vague", Kat "These people are extremely nice, even if we are right up in their face", Thomas after having received directions from a local "It takes just as long to look at the map and understand it as to ask a local", Nick "I'm gonna go home the next time you give anybody any advice" Nick does not like that Vicki helped Brook "I don't think anybody could be more lost than us", Nat does not know about Gary & Mallory "You follow that road? That's not good", A local tells Gary to not proceed a dangerous (and slow) road across the mountain

"You'll get us up there nice and quick and safe?", Chad to their safety driver "Insh Allah (god willing)", the driver replies

Road block: "Who wants to add a little magic to their life?". In this road block one team member must first rappel down 500ft (152m) to a small ledge. There they have to search among hundreds of lamps to find one with a ring in it. Once they have found the ring and received their next clue they may walk back up again.

Teams complete the roadblock in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Chad* & Stephanie

(5-3)

2.

Jill* & Thomas

(4-4)

3.

Nick & Vicki*

(5-3)

4.

Brook & Claire*

(4-4)

5.

Nat & Kat*

(3-4)

6.

Gary & Mallory*

(4-4)

Choice quotes: "I normally don't have any issues with height, but", Chad found the rappel a bit daunting "I definitely have a fear of heights", Jill "Excuse me mister", Vicki to the goat eating their clue "I'm really not scared of anything but bugs", Vicki has no problem with heights "That was really fun", Vicki enjoyed the rappel "This is insane", But Claire did not

Vicki completes the road block just seconds before Claire. But when they are about to leave they see that they have a flat tire. Nick is not happy about this and lets everybody know. But eventually he gets on with it, and together with the driver he changes the tire.

Route info: "Drive yourself to the town of Nizwa" (87km 1:54). Here they will have to find a giant stack of books in a roundabout. The clue sits on top of the books. Teams reach this clue in the followingorder: 1. Chad & Stephanie 2. Jill & Thomas, arrives at the clue as team #1 leaves 3. Brook & Claire 4. Nick & Vicki 5. Nat & KatAnd after it has gotten dark 6. Gary & Mallory

Detour: "Water table or Wedding table"

In water table teams must pump water (by a motorized pump) from a well and fill a water truck. Once the truck is full they must navigate the confusing streets of Muscat searching for their designated house. Once they have made their delivery they get their next clue.

In wedding table teams make their way to a traditional market where they must purchase 25 frozen chickens and all the other ingredients for a traditional wedding soup. Teams will receive their next clue when they have presented the wedding couple with the traditional dish of maqbous.

It is not clear from the presentation if teams actually have to cook the soup from their ingredients. A comment from Jill indicates that they might have to. But that would probably take a long time (frozen chickens anyone?). But we will never know because all teams choose water table.

Choice quotes: "We do not cook", Brook explains why they did water "Thank goodness for all these nice people in Oman", Jill "That's the best shower I've had in a couple of days", Kat spills water on herself

Jill & Thomas have a stroke of luck during the detour. Early on they find a local who is willing to lead them to their address. When they get there they find out that he is a cousin of the guy they are delivering to.

Route info: "Drive yourself to the Muttrah Souq in Muscat and search for: Ghalib Bakheet Salem Bait Kalshat Al-Mahari Store." Once they find this store (66km 0:43) they will get something which they must deliver to another merchant, known as Ali Baba. They will then get their next clue.

Most of the souq closed before the last two teams got there. But the two needed shops kept open for the teams.

Choice quotes: "Oh wow Claire, this in one way", Brook realize they are driving the wrong way on a street "Ali Baba in the suit", Vicki "Ali Baba in a suit?", Nick plays the whispering game

Brook & Claire got caught by the police for driving the wrong way on a one-way road. Luckily for them it seems they got away with just a warning.

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop". Teams must now make their way to Al Alam Palace (4km 0:08) which is the pit stop for this leg. Teams reach Phil and check in in the following order: -. Jill & Thomas, 1st team to arrive, but are given a 30min penalty for paying a taxi to lead them 1. Chad & Stephanie, win a trip to Belize 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Nick & Vicki 4. Brook & Claireand a lot later 5. Nat & Kat, just minutes ahead of #6 6. Gary & Mallory, are eliminated

Jill & Thomas arrive at the palace at 18:43 (according to the clock in their car) when the sun is going down.

According to their elimination station interview Gary & Mallor arrived at the pit stop around midnight, just minutes after Nat & Kat.

Choice quotes: "The rules categorically state that you can not pay a taxi driver to lead you to a location", Phil to Jill & Thomas

"Our fans are pretty good. They don't give away too much. Sometimes people love dropping spoilers, but our fans are good. They tend to do it in such a way that doesn't ruin it for fans who don't want to know."--Phil Keoghan

Teams leave the Al Alam Palace after a 16h pit stop in the following order:

1.

Jill & Thomas

11:10

2.

Chad & Stephanie

11:27

(+0:17)

3.

Nick & Vicki

12:57

(+1:47)

4.

Brook & Claire

13:36

(+2:26)

5.

Nat & Kat

15:37

(+4:27)

Route info: "Fly to Bangladesh". Teams must now fly to Dhaka, Bangladesh. When they land they will make their way to Sundarban square supermarket (17km) and find a sugarcane press. Using this they must fill a large cup with sugarcane juice, which one team member must drink in order to receive their next clue.

The route info also states: "Warning: somewhere on this leg you will encounter a double U-turn".

Choice quotes: "We agreed we are going to do Nat & Kat", Chad & Stephanie know who they want to U-turn "And I don't want to loose to a pair of girls too", That they are strong is not the only reason Chad wants to U-turn the doctors

At the airport the first four teams find tickets with arrival at 12:00 the next day. Chad & Stephanie head over to get something to eat while Jill & Thomas keep looking for flights. Eventually Jill & Thomas manage to get tickets for the following: QR165 MCT-DOH 18:37-18:58 QR344 DOH-DAC 21:16-05:19

Brook & Claire see Jill & Thomas get their tickets but find out that the flight is full. They then encounter and tell Nick & Vicki about this (big mistake). Eventually Nick & Vicki beat Brook & Clair to get the last tickets on the following flights: LX243 MCT-DBX 23:38 - 00:49 EK582 DBX-DAC 02:19 - 08:47

Nat & Kat seem to think everybody else is gone so they immediately jump on a plane to Dubai. They did not have time to get tickets further on so they hope to solve the rest of the trip in Dubai. In Dubai they get tickets via Mumbai and there they encounter Brook & Claire and Chad & Stephanie. The flight path of the doctors is thus: FZ46 MCT-DBX 18:10-19:10 9W543 DBX-BOM 21:40-02:15 9W276 BOM-DAC 09:03-12:28

Choice quotes: "Just down it like a beer babe", Vicki motivates Nick "Yeah, Brook, you stick out like a sore thumb", Claire explains why people are staring

"Detour: Balanced Meal or Balanced Bricks

Balanced Meal: Deliver 30 'Tiffin Meals' to the crew on duty at a Cargo ship docked across the river.

Note due to safety conditions on the river, this event is only open from 7am to Sunset.

Balanced Bricks: Using the local method of carrying cargo atop the head deliver 100 bricks from a supply barge to a nearby retail shop."

In stacked meal teams must load 30 containers of lunches from Shahjahan's on a boat. The boat will then be rowed (by locals) across the harbor and at the other end the teams must hoist the lunches up on a ship. They must then load 10 empty containers and return the same way.

Teams travel by cycle rickshaw to the detour. When taking off the rickshaw carrying Chad & Stephanie departs in the opposite direction of Brook & Claire and Nat & Kat.

Teams arrive at the detour (2.4km) in the following order: 1. Jill & ThomasAnd a lot later 2. Nick & VickiAnd a few more hours later 3. Nat & Kat 4. Brook & Claire, arrive as #3 are performing the detour 5. Chad & Stephanie, arrive as #3 & #4 are unloading their food

Choice quotes: "This stinks so bad", Jill is not happy about the detour area "These guys are half my size and are taking 2-3 times the number of bricks I am", Thomas is impressed by the locals "I don't want to know what's in these food containers because it doesn't smell very good", Vicki "But Nick is wearing it", Vicki again (Nick smells after spilling on himself) "Go, go, go, oh right. There's a cop. We can't break the laws here in Bangladesh, I really don't want to go to prison here", Brook realizes there is a reason their rickshaw has stopped "There is Chad. Oh my god we have to sprint. We can U-turn 'em", Brook spots Chad at the detour "You're not going to have a very good team mate if I'm passed out", Claire wants Brook to slow down a bit

Route info: "Make your way on foot to Dhaka river port". Here teams encounter a double U-turn. In this two teams can each pick another team which has to perform the other side of the detour. Teams reach the U-turn in the following order: 1. Jill & Thomas, U-turn Brook & Claire 2. Nick & Vicki 3. Nat & Kat, U-turn Chad & Stephanie 4. Brook & Claire 5. Chad & Stephanie

Choice quotes: "They are always at the top", Thomas why they U-turned Brook & Claire "I think Chad & Stephanie was the stronger team of the ones behind us", Nick wanted to use the U-turn "I choose not to use it, we choose", but Vicki overrules him "We had to U-turn whoever might be behind us, just to help us survive", Nat explains their U-turning Chad & Stephanie

Route info: "Take a bicycle rickshaw to Nazira Bazaar and find Sikka Tull. Your next clue is at the nearby Tekka Mistiri Garage.

Note: A bicycle rickshaw does not have a motor or engine of any kind"

Teams arrive at the garage (1.6km) in the following order: 1. Jill & ThomasHours later 2. Nick & VickiEven more hours later 3. Nat & Kat 4. Brook & Claire, arrive while #3 are doing the road block 5. Chad & Stephanie, arrive while #3 and #4 are still at it

Road block: In this road block teams enter the Tekka Mistiri Rickshaw Garage and must properly assemble a cycle rickshaw using the parts provided. The different components they must assemble are: wheels, seat. canopy, bell, tassels, pedals, back seat and finally they have to thread the chain.

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Jill* & Thomas

(5-4)

2.

Nick* & Vicki

(6-3)

3.

Nat* & Kat

(4-4)

4.

Brook* & Claire

(5-4)

5.

Chad & Stephanie*

(5-4)

Choice quotes: "There is like a lot of nuts and bullets", Jill find the parts "Geez, these people are great", Thomas fraternizes with the locals while waiting on Jill "I rode bicycles growing up as a kid so this shouldn't be too difficult", Nick utters famous last words? "Nick listening to be about not U-turning is a huge deal", Vicki talks about how Nick has changed on the race "I can't say I'm an expert at building rickshaws, but similar to when buying things from IKEA", Nat "Oh we got flair people", Adding the tassels came naturally to Brook

"How is that PhD helping you?", Chad baits Nat "For the record, I have an MD. I do not have an PhD.", Nat

"I sense a little bit of bitterness from the U-turned", Kat with today's understatement

"Good luck Chad, sorry about that. It was nothing personal", Nat to Chad when she is leaving "Nah, it's cool", Chad accepts the situation

Despite his comment Nick does not have any real problems with assembling the bike. But like Jill he forgets the chain (since it was not in the box of parts).

Chad was perhaps not the most likeable person at the road block, but trying to get Nat off balance was probably his best bet. Too bad for him it did not work.

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop". The pit stop is located at Lalbagh fort (2.5km).

The first three teams all took taxis, but the last two teams failed to any free taxis so they eventually made their way there on foot. They completed the road block within five minutes of each other. And that was also the distance at the pit stop.

Route info: "Fly to Hong Kong". Teams must now fly to Hong Kong. When they land the must make their way by bus and ferry to Cheung Chau island to search for the Cheung Po Tsai cave.

All teams end up on the same flights: SQ435 DAC-SIN 23:55-05:44 CX736 SIN-HKG 10:07-14:23

Choice quotes: "We like making him feel uncomfortable", Claire about the coming meeting with Thomas

Jill & Thomas are not happy about meeting Brook & Claire at the airport (since they U-turned them in the last leg). But both teams stay relatively classy so the encounter does not degenerate. But I think Jill & Thomas should hope that they do not get to an U-turn after Brook & Claire for the rest of the race.

Jill & Thomas is the first team on a bus out of the airport. The other teams all make the next bus.

After the bus there is a foot-race (~600m) to the ferry. The first ferry, which departs 16:45, carries: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Nat & Kat 3. Brook & Claire

Vicki gets an asthma attack so they miss this boa and have to wait for the next one at 17:15. 4. Nick & Vicki

Choice quotes: "Right before the doors close, these guys will be Indiana-Jonesing in", Thomas hopes the other teams will miss the boat, but thinks they will make it "Why are you crying", Nick to Vicki

Here Nick melts down and start blaming Vicki for them missing the boat. This is strictly speaking true (she got an asthma attack), but that is no reason for him to talk like he does.

Road block: "Who is feeling peckish", in this road block one team member must use chop sticks to search through a sumptuous buffet for one of five fake items. They must eat everything they touch (except the fakes)

This restaurant is not a calm and sedated place. On the contrary, it is full of locals and there is a stage with awful karaoke. Team members not performing the road block are mostly waiting on the stage. Where Brook can't help herself but starts a wild dance within seconds of getting on the stage.

Nick & Vicki are apparently there for a long time because the locals look very bored, some are even leaving, and others are reading magazines towards the end.

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Nat* & Kat

(5-4)

2.

Jill & Thomas*

(5-5)

3.

Brook & Claire*

(5-5)

4.

Nick & Vicki*

(6-4)

This road block is very hard and both Claire and Vicki have to visit the bathroom in order to "return" some food. The camera person helpfully follows and tries to document everything. Thankfully the contestants have the presence of mind to close the bathroom stall doors in front of the camera. So all we get are the sound effects (which is bad enough).

Eventually Nick offers Vicki to give up and take the 4h penalty. But Vicki refuses and continue on and eventually finds the fake food.

Choice quotes: "It was overwhelming at first", Nat "Pretty good", Nat after her first bite "This is ridiculous", Thomas "If it's karaoke I'll do it. That's easy", Claire thinks the road block is karaoke "All the road block I've done, I've assumed to be something else. And all of them have been terrible", Claire "This is hard", Claire "She's supposed to be on a diet for her wedding", Brook about Claire "I've never puked so much in my entire life", Claire "Just keep puking out there", Brooks encourages Claire "Ha, ha, ha", Nick realizes Claire have to throw up "My stomach can't take in all this food", Vicki "I hate Chinese food", Vicki (as teams #1 & #2 are on their way to the pit stop) "It's supposed to be fun, this isn't fun", Nick is tired of the road block "I don't like to quite anything I start", Vicki does not

Route info: "Enter the dragon", teams must now make their way to avenue of stars (2.6km) and figure out that they are searching for a statue of Bruce Lee. There is no changing of the order from the road block to the statue.

It is getting dark outside.

Detour: "Ding ding or Sampan"

In ding ding teams board a 100 year old transit system (6.6km), known as the ding ding. Then they must ride a particular portion of the route, searching among thousands of signs for three, which when put together will reveal the location of their next clue ("Pit stop statue square").

In sampan teams pick up a wooden cage (11km) with two parakeets and board a sampan. Then they must head out into Aberdeen harbor and search among hundreds of boats for the one with a registration number which matches the one on their bird cage (like CM65405A). Since it is dark teams are provided with high power flashlights.

This time the detour choices are basically needle in a haystack or needle in a haystack. And none of them are easy.

According to the editors Nick & Vicki got to the sampans while Brook & Clair were still searching. Nick finally snapped on the boat and decided to give up and go to sleep. Vicki tried to continue, but couldn't do it by herself. So they had to quit the detour and take a 6h penalty.

Choice quotes: "The registration numbers were at totally different places on each boat", Kat "We had to keep the birds entertained by blowing this ridiculous whistle", Kat

"This is terrible", Nat to Jill about the detour "That's good to hear", Jill has a strange definition of good

"We are nuts, we know", Brook to their sampan captain "God, I wanna just choke somebody", Nick is about to snap "But I just don't wanna give up after all that we've been through today", Vicki "I don't care if you don't like to quit, it is over", Nick is quitting "This is probably the worst day ever", Vicki

After the detour Jill & Thomas have a hard time to find a taxi whoknows where Statue Square is. Which allows Nat & Kat to pass them.

Choice quotes: "You have a six hour penalty, and you have a speed bump, and you guys are a long way back", Phil to Nick & Vicki "We're going to do what we can do. We don't wanna to quit the race", Vicki (but Nick looks resigned)

Route info: "Fly to the city of Seoul, South Korea. When you land, driver yourself towards the North Korean border". Teams must drive themselves from the airport to the DMZ and find the Seung-il bridge. Teams get $117 for this leg.

Nat & Kat and Jill & Thomas hop into cabs and go to the airport. It seems Nat & Kat borrow a cell-phone from the driver to check for flights. Brook & Claire go into a hotel and use the staff there to arrange tickets. All the first three teams end up on the same flight: KE608 HKG-ICN 00:25-04:52

At the airport Nat & Kat convince a random traveler to buy a guide-book for them. That is smart.

We are not told when Nick & Vicki leaves the pit stop. But according to a later interview they arrived at the airport between 01:00 and 01:30. The next available flight is: CX410 HKG-ICN 10:44-14:33 (was delayed)

So now Nick & Vicki are more than 9 hours behind the other teams. It is going to take a small miracle, or a major bunching point, for them to be able to catch up. And given that the other teams arrive in Seoul in the morning a bunching point seems unlikely.

Choice quotes: "Really?, Kat is surprised about driving towards North Korea ""Do not cross the border", I guess it's pretty obvious", Kat reads from the clue "It feels really weird to wear these kinds of clothes in a place like this" Brook & Claire feel out of place while waiting on their tickets in an upscale hotel "It really comes down to a miracle", Nick when learning they will be 9 hours behind

Choice quotes: "Maybe if we could create an alliance with North Korea to look out for the other teams", Brook fantasizes "Maybe we could solve something", Claire wants to solve the issues between North and South Korea "Most of the signs are completely devoid of any sort of English characters", Nat

Route info: "Welcome to the DMZ!

Choose a rafting guide and a raft. Make your way though the rapids until you reach the military compound downriver. When you arrive, your Mission Commander and the waiting soldiers will give you additional orders.

Note: There will be a short safety briefing. You must wear all provided safety gear."

Teams must now raft down the river and then board an Humvee which will take them to the U.S. army base Camp Casey, where they will find their next clue.

All teams seem to enjoy the rafting.

Teams complete the rafting and reach the next clue box in the following order: 1. Jill & Thomas 2. Brook & Claire, arrive while #1 are performing the road block 3. Nat & Kat, arrive while #2 are performing the road block

Choice quotes: "Geez, you took longer to get dressed than I did", Jill berates Thomas "Now, this is what I call living", Brook while rafting down the river

Road block: "Who's ready to be all you can be?", teams mush choose a head band (from the top of the dais) and then go down to the field and find the one soldier (among 200) wearing a matching head-band (only the Korean letters on the bands differs). The soldiers are all performing Taekwondo exercises. If they find the correct match the soldier will kick a board to reveal the next clue. If they guess wrongly the soldier will take the band so the team member must go back to get a new one.

We can also see the speed-bump sign next to the clue box in Camp Casey. But Nick & Vicki may very will still be in Hong Kong.

Teams complete the road block in the following order (* denotes team member performing the road block, and the numbers how many roadblocks each team member have performed):

1.

Jill & Thomas*

(1st try)

(5-6)

2.

Brook* & Claire

(2nd try)

(6-5)

3.

Nat & Kat*

(1st try)

(5-5)

Choice quotes: "She is not being focused", Claire about Brook at the road block "I'm surrounded by ninjas", Brooke

Brooke can't contain her selves so after the soldier has hit the board she has to give it a kick as well.

Route info: "Find Seoul's world cup stadium". Teams must make their way on foot to the subway station. They must then travel to Seoul World Cup Stadium where they will find their next clue.

In full throttle teams make their way on foot or by subway to Mok-dong ice rink. Here they change into state of the art speed skating suite and must the skate a two person relay for a total of 24 laps.

In full bottle teams make their way on foot or by subway to Namdaemun market, put on delivery uniforms and carry a total of six bottles containing giant ginseng roots to a holistic wellness center. Once there they must each drink a bottle of ginseng tonic.

All teams chose full throttle. They arrive at the stadium in the following order: 1. Brook & Claire, took a taxi! 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Nat & Kat, arrive after the ted other teams have left

Here we get shots of Nick & Vicki landing. They ask a local who offers to lead them all the way to the bridge. See below for more details about the Nick & Vicki storyline.

Choice quotes: "That's easy, we can skate, we suck at delivering stuff", Thomas knows how it is "We do", but the stuff comes as a surprise to Jill

"Can you ice skate?", Brooke to Claire "No, I haven't ice skated since I was like 7", Claire "I'll go really fast to make up for it", Brooke wants to go skating anyway

"The attire, that was disgusting. It was like a little latex spandex tight all over your body not easy to move in suit", Brooke "I'm right behind you Brooke, as usual", Claire feels she can't keep up

"Seven times I fell, that was ridiculous", Jill "I grew up in Arizona, so I have a lot of experience with ice skating", Nat is sarcastic "Our coach is yelling at us", a very slow moving Nat

Time is now 15.15 according to Claire's watch (while in the taxi on the way to the next clue).

Route info: "Make your way to Han riverside park... The next clue awaits you under the airplane near the bridge". Teams must now make their way to the Yeouido Hangang riverside park and search for a statue of an airplane, where they will find their next clue. Teams reach this clue in the following order: 1. Brook & Claire 2. Jill & Thomas 3. Nat & Kat

Choice quotes: "Kiss count is up to nine", Taxi driver got a kiss from Claire

Route info: "Make your way to the next pit stop, temple of heaven". The last team to check in will be eliminated. Teams reach the pit stop, at Wongudan temple, in the following order: . Brook & Claire, get a 30 minute penalty (took a taxi) 1. Jill & Thomas, win a trip to Iguazu falls in Argentina 2. Brook & Claire 3. Nat & Kat 4. Nick & Vicki, are eliminated

Given the reaction of Brooke at the pit stop it seems they realized they did break a rule, but hoped to get away with it.

We finally get to see some shots of Nick & Vicki. They are so to say racing in a league of their own. They have not even found the bridge when the doctors reach the pit stop. Both Nick & Vicki seem relaxed and we get a feeling that they have accepted their fate. They did not have to do the rafting. But they are seen performing a speed bump, hosing down a tank (which apparently took 10-15minutes). It is dark while they are doing the speed bump.

Choice quotes: "I need to toilet", the local helping Nick & Vicki "He wants you, I knew you were good for something", Nick to Vicki (with a smile) about the local guiding them "They also don't know, follow me", The local has asked some soldiers "We knew we were way behind everybody else, we pretty much knew it was our last leg", Nick "Don't squirt me, clown", Nick to Vicki during the speed bump "The hardest part is acknowledging the flaws we do have in our relationship", Nick "I actually went through this entire race without killing him, so I think that is a good think", Vicki in the post race interview